Escaping Fate
by Heartstopper99
Summary: In the infinite realities that exist, there are infinite number of threats that can destroy the world. But time and time again, disaster has been averted, as Alaya manipulates the Counter Force to neutralize the threat. However, in a world where the Age of Gods never ended, where her presence is greatly suppressed, it all depends on the Counter Guardian sent to keep the world safe.


Basic Summary:

Counter Guardian EMIYA gets summoned into the Campione universe as Metis plots to swallow the skies as revenge

Prologue

Counter Guardians.

The manifestation of the Counter Force, called forth when mankind's existence is threatened across the infinite universes. Harbingers of destruction, they exterminate mankind's threat with extreme prejudice and with no regard to the destruction and suffering wrought to the environment and the surrounding innocents. Also known as the Beasts of Alaya, Counter Guardians are supplied with a surfeit of power whenever they are called forth, in order to completely annihilate the opposing force. However, in a dimension where Alaya's presence is greatly suppressed and her power diminished, it is entirely possible that Counter Guardians called into such universes may not be able to possess the overwhelming power they normally have in order to destroy the threat, thus greatly affecting their chances of success. That of course, depends entirely on the Counter Guardian called forth….

Amidst the ruins of a temple, two beings face off against each other, both possessing immense power, too much to be considered normal human by any standards. However, it was obvious that one of them, a female goddess to be exact, possessed considerably more power than the other, while her opponent, a male godslayer while weaker than her, was still powerful enough to pose a threat

Metis stared at her foe with a curious look. Despite the obvious disparity in power, he refused to retreat, with the foolish desire of protecting the fallen goddess he called a 'friend'. What an amusing notion, a Campione-a godslayer, befriending his natural enemy, Metis thought. Well, in the end, it didn't matter, it was just a small hindrance in her plans, she would simply kill him and absorb Athena before finally exacting her revenge on that scoundrel Zeus, by swallowing the heavens whole, engulfing the entire world in darkness.

Kusanagi Godou was panicking inside even though he tried to mask it with a defiant countenance. He could sense how powerful Metis was, and was starting to get rather unsure about the odds of him emerging victorious, The fact that Metis' presence here meant that she had defeated Erica, Liliana, Yuri and Ena did nothing to ease his worries. However, he would stand firm against this enemy, should he fall and Metis absorb Athena, returning to full power, she would be free to wreak havoc upon Japan.

It was Metis who made the first move, swinging a scythe that was seemed to be completely out of proportion for her to wield so deftly. Godou quickly activated the Raptor Authority, dodging her blow but it didn't seem to faze her as she kept on the offensive, preventing Godou from getting a chance to counterattack. Despite the big speed boost provided by the authority, it seemed like he was only barely avoiding her attacks. It wasn't that she was faster than him but the frightening skill with which she wielded the weapon was more than enough to close the gap in speed, something he learnt the hard way when he overextended himself and received a painful cut on his arm. If he had been moving just a bit slower, he would have lost his entire arm instead. The wound wasn't severe enough that they hampered his ability to fight effectively but the fact that she was able to even harm him when he was moving at this speed was frightening to say the least.

Godou knew that he couldn't keep this up forever, sooner or later, his hold over the authority would slip, leaving him open to attacks as he suffered from the backlash of using the Raptor Authority. The only way to break out of this deadlock was to change to a different authority that gave him a better chance at offence. Quickly formulating a plan, Godou released the Raptor Authority immediately after dodging a blow that would have decapitated him, stumbling onto the ground. Metis lunged at him, prepared to swing a blow that would separate his torso from his legs- right as he activated the Camel Authority. Pushing his entire body of the ground, he met Metis' blow with a kick bearing the full force of the authority behind it. Godou cheered inwardly, it was the first solid blow he had landed on his opponent and he knew that the full force of the Camel Authority was not something that could be shrugged off easily, even by gods. To his surprise and despair, all it did was push his enemy a few feet above in the air as she gave him an amused smile.

"Is that all you've got, God-slayer?" Metis cackled, swinging her scythe down at his unprotected back before Godou could react. With a strangled scream and a spurt of blood, Godou plummeted down to the ground.

"Kusanagi Godou!" Athena rushed to the fallen God-slayer's side, only to cry out in pain as Metis appeared behind her, inflicting a similar injury on her.

Tossing the reduced deity to the side, Metis prepared to finish the injured Campione off.

Athena was confused by the events that had transpired to say the least. Firstly, she had appeared near the Campione with no memory, and with all of her power stripped from her. She had the faint hunch that she knew the Campione and his female companions from somewhere, but their names eluded her. Then _she_ had appeared. She appeared to be a doppelganger of herself surrounded by a black aura that radiated death and darkness with streaks of lightning crackling around her form. Despite the crazed look in her eyes and childish appearance, it was obvious that she was powerful. Athena couldn't help but feel a stab of fear as _she_ turned her gaze upon her with a nasty gleam in her eyes and a psychotic grin dancing upon her lips.

Then, she had been thrown into a car with the Campione, Kusanagi Godou as his companions called him, and had been transported to the temple they were standing on right now.

She couldn't help but feel unnaturally happy when Godou declared that he was her friend, against her look-alike, a being he called Metis. The name had resounded within the depths of her soul and she knew that she recognized the name from somewhere but her lack of memories frustrated her to no end.

Next, she had witnessed the clash between Metis and Kusanagi Godou. It was apparent to any observer that Metis held the advantage in both skill and strength, and yet Godou fought on, bravely persevering even though the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Athena wondered why he was fighting so hard, didn't he realise how strong his foe was? The answer came to her almost immediately after the question had. He was fighting in defense of her, fighting for her, protecting her from whatever plans Metis had for her. At this thought, Athena couldn't help but feel a faint blush tint her cheeks.

Then, she had witnessed Godou fall to the ground as Metis finally overwhelmed him. Her heart leapt to her throat as she realised how wounded he was and she immediately rushed to his side, only to feel excruciating pain lance through her body the next moment.

No one was more surprised than Athena herself when she suddenly threw herself upon Metis despite her pain, not to attack but to make an opening for Godou to attack by forestalling Metis' scythe. She had no idea why she was being so reckless but all she knew was that she had to do something. And it was effective at that, for even though their strength was not comparable at all, the sheer shock of seeing Athena sacrifice her safety for the Campione was enough to render her stunned for a moment.

Not one to pass up such a good opportunity for attack, Godou used the time to recite the incantations to use his arguably most destructive authority-The White Stallion.

 _"Come to me, for the victory! Immortal Sun, lend me a quick, shining steed. Fire of the Sun that dispels the dark, may it engulf you!"_ Amidst the darkness enveloping the entire sky, a patch of brilliant light appeared, and a flaming horse, bearing the full power of the sun, sped towards Metis.

"Athena, dodge!" Heeding his advice, Athena threw herself away from Metis as far away as possible. She could already feel the intense heat emitted by the stallion in the sky as it began to cross the vast distance at lightspeed, crashing into Metis like an exploding cannonball.

Godou looked upon the flaming ruins around them, searching for Metis' fallen form to reassure himself that she had indeed been taken down in the attack. The Stallion Authority was not one that he enjoyed using, due to the widespread area of damage so he had to be way of allies in the vicinity and the fact that it tended to leave the surroundings in smoldering wreckage, evident by the scene around him. However, he had been backed into a corner with no other offensive authorities suitable for use at that time. There was also the fact that Metis was immensely powerful, able to easily shrug off the full might of the Camel unleashed on her so it was necessary for a stronger authority to be employed to defeat her.

Suddenly, a great blast of wind struck out from the position where Metis was standing previously, extinguishing the conflagration around them instantly. Godou began to despair as he saw Metis' form emerge from the smoke He was starting to lose hope, starting to believe that there was no way to defeat this formidable foe. His reserves of energy was not fully replenished and he still had not recovered from the debilitating wound that Metis had dealt to him. His flesh and bones might be many times more durable and stronger than others as a Campione, but Metis was wielding a divine weapon, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, and had easily sliced through them, hampering his fighting ability. Added to the fact that he could not employ the Warrior Authority, the only authority he thought could possibly harm her, because his _'harem'_ \- the word still left a bad taste in his mouth, was not here to provide him with the necessary knowledge of his opponent to use this authority.

Godou could only look on helplessly as Metis grabbed Athena, eying her with a hungry look. She leaned forward and….kissed her? Athena's body shimmered for an instant before fading completely, Metis having completely absorbed her essence.

"Athena!"

Metis savoured the power she had, feeling completely satisfied with herself. She was finally whole once again, at full strength, now all that lay between her and her path to revenge was the pitiful godslayer on the ground. One more insect who stood in her way of engulfing the world in darkness and swallowing the heavens whole in vengeance for Zeus' betrayal. There was no one who could stop her now. No one.

Metis gave a manic laugh.

Alaya, the unconscious collective will of humanity to survive, is constantly active, employing the Counter Forth and sending out Counter Guardians, whichever tool would be more appropriate in steering mankind away from the brink of extinction. In one of the infinite realities that existed, Alaya detected a being amass large amounts of power to prepare to swallow the skies. Such a situation would prove to be fatal to the human population and so Alaya prepared to send one of her favourite Counter Guardians to eliminate this threat. After all, it would be so very much amusing to watch EMIYA face off against gods, and should he succeed, become a Campione.

A swirling black vortex appeared out of nowhere above the ruins of the temple, and Godou watched in amazement as a figure stepped out of it. Apparelled in a long red overcoat and solid black armor beneath it, the figure turned to gaze upon Metis.

"So you're the being I need to kill."

Godou gaped in shock at the man's proclamation. He knew for a fact that this man was not a Campione, for he neither resembled any of the other godslayers Erica had told him about, nor could he sense the famed enormous reserves of power of them in him. While his magical power was by no means small, Godou's own reserves were definitely superior despite never having received magical training before, so he could only be considered a rather strong magic practitioner, but he certainly couldn't hope to fight against a goddess, not when Metis had already regained her full power already. So why was it that this man could speak of defeating her with such confidence in his victory?

EMIYA assessed the situation with careful consideration. He had been provided with the relevant information about the threat the moment he entered this dimension. At this moment, he knew that this 'goddess' he faced was many times stronger than him in terms of pure power, especially since Alaya's muted presence in this world meant that he was not supplied with power. That was just fine with him, he thought, materializing Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands, after all, wasn't his fighting style one that revolved around fighting opponents that were stronger and faster than himself?

With maximum reinforcement applied to his body, he couldn't be more than a blur to any normal people watching as he headed for Metis. However, his foe was not normal by any measure and easily blocked his first strike, and the one after that, and the next dozen subsequent attacks. "Defeat me? How can a mere mortal like you defeat me? Let's see if your death will provide me with some measure of entertainment," Metis commented.

After another few clashes, Metis was starting to get frustrated. It seemed that all her strikes had failed to land solid blows on her opponent. She had been aiming specifically at the openings that were so blatantly obvious in his fighting style but it always seemed that his sword always intercepted the blow out of nowhere. Metis couldn't fathom how this person was keeping up with her, she was stronger and faster than him but it was almost like he could read her movements before she even made them, almost like he could predict her movements… She gave a loud laugh as she finally realized the truth. This foe was deliberately leaving openings for her during the fight and whenever she tried to exploit them, it would always fail for he could predict which areas she was going to attack and take action before the actual strike itself to protect himself. No sane fighter would ever use such a style because the moment he failed to block or evade the blow, he would be missing a rather vital organ necessary for living. Metis licked her lips subconsciously, this fight was just starting to get interesting.

EMIYA suddenly stopped the exchange of blows, leaping away from Metis. If he was honest with himself, the only reason why he was capable of matching Metis previously was because she was toying with him, content to see how his efforts to slay her would fare. After all, he was just a mere mortal, albeit one with a few skills, why would she take him seriously? Now that he had a rough gauge of his opponent's capabilities, it was time to kick things up a notch.

He dismissed the two married blades in his hands as he noticed the hairline fractures in them. He was lucky that they hadn't broken during the clashes previously, for even though they were Noble Phantasms, he couldn't hope for them to last during a prolonged fight against a divine artifact. _"Spirit and technique, flawless and firm."_ Tracing another pair, he hurled both swords one after the other at Metis, which she easily deflected, sending both swords in opposite directions _"Our strength rips the mountains."_ Tracing yet another pair, he closed in on his foe for another bout. It was only through her refined battle instincts that Metis saw the black and white blades spinning towards her while she was about to block the sword in EMIYA's hand and leapt upwards in order to dodge them and EMIYA's attack simultaneously. The two blades in the air converged where Metis used to be standing before bouncing off and spinning in different directions, once again converging towards Metis surprised figure in the air.

" _Our swords split the water."_ EMIYA threw the pair of blades in his hands at Metis, watching as she tried to evade or block the four spinning blades that defied the laws of gravity. _"Our names reach the imperial villa, the two of us cannot hold heavens together!"_ EMIYA shouted, as he traced Kanshou and Bakuya again. He flooded the two blades with prana, making them dangerous, making them broken. They had been altered by reinforcement into longswords twice their original size with feather-like splinters covering the whole length of the blade. Running towards Metis, preparing his final strike as all the blades in the air flew towards her. EMIYA swung the Overedge swords with all his might, "Crane Wing Three Realm!" An explosion erupted as all the swords burst into razor sharp fragments and exploded along with the Overedge swords, sending EMIYA flying back.

Kanshou and Bakuya, the married blades, crafted by Gan Jiang in China, despite having a rather low ranking as a Noble Phantasm, had a special ability to exert a magnetic attraction on each other, allowing them to attract each other and return to their owner even if they are away from him. EMIYA had trained with these two blades to mastery, and had crafted his own technique, using his projection and tracing to create an extremely powerful attack with six swords swung from different directions towards the opponent, which was an unavoidable attack with all avenues of escape cut off.

The dust kicked up by the explosion dissipated as a giant snake emerged from it, rearing its ugly head and hissed venomously. EMIYA used structural grasping on the creature and realized that Metis had shaped the earth around her into the form of a giant serpent. Behind the creature, EMIYA saw Metis, standing unharmed save for a small cut on her arm. It wasn't much but it proved that this being, goddess or not, could be harmed and so, could be killed. As the beast lunged at him, EMIYA traced a Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands once more. Metis narrowed her eyes upon seeing those blades materialize once more, now realizing the destructive potential those twin swords had. However, EMIYA wasn't attacking her first but rather the more immediate threat- the serpent. The twin swords had a rather strong anti-monster attribute, a classification that fit the serpent bearing on him. EMIYA dodged its first charge and struck at its body, which tore into its body. Hissing in pain, the snake lunged at him once again, preparing to swallow its prey. He wasn't fast enough to sidestep the lunge, and quickly crossed the twin swords together to block the attack. The serpent met his block full on, only to find its attack wearing itself out into a stop against the block as its prey displayed unnatural strength. Repelling the snake, Kanshou and Bakuya whistled through the air, as its slashes bit deep into its scaly skin. Slash transitioned into stab which seamlessly led into his next attack. His brutal offensive was effective in driving back the beast but it wasn't enough to defeat it.

Its massive tail slapped the ground, causing dust to cloud his vision if only for a brief moment. Too fast for him to react, the tail appeared out of nowhere and whipped into him, tossing him into the air like a ragdoll.

Grunting in pain, EMIYA got back on his feet, eying the serpent with warily. It was then that he noticed how its injuries had almost completely dissipated, and the most recent gash he had dealt was closing at an alarming rate as sand rose from the earth, guided by invisible hands, and covered it.

Great. So not only was it a giant snake with the strength to match its size, it had regeneration as well. Still, it wasn't a problem that could not be overcome, considering the Noble Phantasms in his arsenal but he shouldn't be focusing on this pet while Metis analyzed his abilities and formulated a plab of action.

Godou stared, dumbstruck, at the ensuing fight in front of him. He hadn't expected the swordsman to last so long against Metis, much less hurt her. And yet he had succeeded in doing so, managing to wound her with those flying swords of his. When the smoke had cleared and the giant serpent appeared, he could make out a small cut on Metis' arm in the distance. It wasn't much, but the fact that this man had even managed to draw her blood in the first place proved what a dangerous adversary he was. Godou was so riveted on the ongoing battle that he didn't even notice Erica, Ena, Liliana and Mariya approach his side.

"Godou! Are you alright? Where's Athena? And who's that man fighting Metis?" Erica asked, concerned.

Godou turned to face his friends and let out a sigh of relief. Other than a few cuts and bruises colouring their skin, they appeared to be unharmed for the most part. "Yeah I'm fine, but Athena got absorbed into Metis. She's more powerful than I thought, even able to weather the full force of The Stallion, I don't think I'll be able to defeat her without The Warrior," Godou replied. "I have no idea who that man is, he's not a Campione nor does he seem to be a Heretic God, and yet he's keeping up with Metis? Who exactly is this guy?"

Suddenly, the man was struck by the giant serpent's tail and was tossed several feet up into the air. In mid-air, his body seemed to contort and twist in a strange fashion before he controlled his descent, landing nearby.

"Who are you?" Strangely enough, the question came from Yuri.

"Just a guardian, I guess you could call me a Counter Guardian," was his enigmatic response. The title meant nothing to Godou and his female companions, and only left them with more questions than answers.

"Do you think you can take care of the snake?" the Counter Guardian asked Godou. "I'd do it myself but I'd rather Metis not see more of my other skills first"

"King Godou is more than capable of taking care of the beast, but are you sure you'll be fine handling Metis yourself? She's a powerful Heretic Goddess and you're just a mortal magic practitioner. I'm sure King Godou wouldn't mind taking her on himself." Erica answered before Godou could reply himself.

"I'll be fine, I've handled worse before." Unbidden, memories of Angra Mainyu and Gilgamesh were dredged up from the recesses of his mind. No matter how powerful this foe was, he doubted that she was as malevolent as All The World's Evil or as dangerous as the arrogant king clad in golden armor. That was a lifetime ago, he reminded himself, several lifetimes ago to be exact. Now, after being slave to the ideal he had held throughout his life, he was condemned to a fate worse than death, to be continuously summoned at the whims of Alaya. Oh, to be sure, he certainly saved many lives when he was called forth, millions of them in fact, but his sword was tainted by the blood of countless innocents who were collateral damage in his path to victory. It was almost as if Alaya was mocking and bastardizing his ideal, his almost childish desire to want to save everyone. EMIYA shook his head briefly, as if to clear his thoughts. This was not the place nor the time to be having such thoughts, the only thing he could do for now was obey Alaya's demands for now, upholding his duty as a Counter Guardian and hope that he would be summoned into the 5th Holy Grail War in one of the infinite universes and kill his past self, hoping to create a paradox where he would be completely wiped out of existence.

Erica looked doubtful at his bold claim but did not try to refute it. "Very well, if that's what you say, but do know that King Godou would only be too glad to assist you should you need help. After all, it is the duty of the Campione to fight against gods."

Godou sighed. He knew that Erica only had good intentions for him, but her tendency to want to assert his authority over others who weren't Campione or gods made him rather uncomfortable. After all, with the exception of the Authorities he had usurped and powers he had gained, he still considered himself as an ordinary teenager.

The stranger gave a terse nod, before rushing off to engage Metis once again.

Perhaps, he should focus on the more immediate issue at hand instead,namely the giant serpent about to eat all of them.

 _"May his spine be crushed; may his bones be broken, his tendons torn, his hair ripped from his skull; may his blood, spilled over the earth, be churned into a bloody froth. I shall become one who buries fangs into the sinner's flesh, that the will of the Lord be followed: Thou shalt be purged!"_

A massive boar appeared at Godou's side, roaring ferociously, before charging towards the serpent, sending it crashing backwards. The serpent hissed in pain even as the earth rose up and healed the two gashes torn by the Boar's tusks, and retaliated by whipping it scaly tail towards the Boar.

Even as the two behemoths continued to tussle, it was obvious that Godou's boar held the upper hand. Even though the serpent could regenerate from the wounds dealt to it, it could not heal faster than the Boar could dish out damage, and added to the fact that the Boar had a stronger and more durable hide that the serpent could not inflict serious harm upon, led to a losing outcome for the giant reptile. After all, the Boar was not just a normal Divine Beast, but rather, an incarnation of an actual God, so its power surpassed that of the snake.

Metis glanced up from where she was fighting the "Counter Guardian", and noticed that her pet was losing. Annoyed, she summoned two similar colossal serpents and sent them to help their brother deal with the Boar. The two serpents tackled the Boar from the side, knocking it off the other snake and sent it sprawling across the ground. The Boar roared in rage, charging at the trio, cracking the pavement and sending debris up in the air with each step it took. The snakes darted out of its way quickly with their flexible and limber forms and each of them coiled around the Boar's massive form before it could change direction. They squeezed and constricted with all their might, arresting the Boar's movements, all the while trying to puncture its hide with their venom-filled fangs. The Boar shrieked in outrage, its bulging muscles quivering under the strain of the exertion but it could not break out of the hold.

The Boar was violent, destructive and powerful, but against three serpents of equal size, and all of them Divine beasts, it wasn't any wonder that the Boar was starting to lose against them. Seeing the Boar's life being choked out of him, Erica and Liliana leapt into action, summoning their weapons into their hands. Liliano transformed Il Maestro into the Bow of Jonathan, sending a flurry of arrows at the serpent that was coiled around the Boar's neck, causing it to reel back in pain, untangling itself from the boar in the process. As the snake was regaining its bearings, Erica attacked.

"Fly, Wings of Hermes!"The foreign knight soared through the air, swinging her weapon at the base of the serpent's neck. The strike successfully landed, but it barely penetrated through its tough skin, only drawing a small cut that was quickly healed. Retaliating immediately, the snake drew its head back and bashed it at Erica mid air. She barely managed to bring Cuore di Leone up in time to deflect the blow. The force struck her like a sledgehammer and would have most likely left her unconscious with brain damage had it landed directly. Instead, she was sent flying back, and after a few somersaults, Erica landed gracefully.

The Boar had not been idle during the short bout between the knights and the other divine beast. It had rolled over to its side such that its massive weight was crushing one of the serpents around it against the ground. Together with the help of its mate, it managed to squeeze free but in the process, they lost their hold on the two serpents regrouped and eyed their foe warily as it seemingly wreathed itself in golden flames, probably one of its special abilities, Suddenly, in their minds, the serpents felt a spike of pain from their mistress. They hissed in unison, it was absolutely necessary that they come to their mistress' aid lest she be injured any further but this beast was in their way. They would simply have to kill it quickly before proceeding to kill the one who dared to harm their mistress. They lunged together at the Boar and the fight between the colossal beasts resumed.

EMIYA had headed straight for Metis the moment Godou started his attack, summoning a pair of lances rather than blades. Accessing the skills of its previous owner, Diarmuid the Love Spot, within his rightful weapons, he twirled them around dexterously before settling into a ready stance. He had chosen this weapon because he wanted to have one that had a comparable range to the scythe that Metis was wielding. Because she had underestimated him previously, thinking that his attacks were merely those of an overconfident mortal mage who didn't know his place in the food chain, he had been able to get close enough to her with his dual blades and score a few hits. But now that he had proven himself to be far from that weak adversary she had thought she was facing, she was about to take him seriously. Her skill with the scythe was more than enough to keep him at bay if he used Kanshou and Bakuya such that his dangerous fighting style would not be as effective as it could be.

There was also the fact that the lances he was dual wielding had some rather useful attributes to bring to the fight. He did not know how her powers actually operated but if his vast experience as a Counter Guardian taught him anything, it was that powerful beings often utilized some form of magic, especially during combat. And although he wasn't sure how the Crimson Rose of Exorcism would be against godly magic, it should certainly suppress if not outright nullify it. And his shorter spear, Gae Buidhe delivered a curse whenever applied to flesh, causing the wound it dealt to never heal which was always a good thing when facing a strong magical opponent.

This time, it was Metis who went on the offensive, with a combination of blows that blurred through the air. EMIYA kept her at bay with his pair of lances, his movements fluid, each strike flowing into the next seamlessly. However, each blow he blocked rattled his shoulders and strained his muscles and it was only due to the peerless skill of the lances' previous owner that he was able to survive the onslaught unscathed. Clearly, Metis wasn't holding back anymore, with each strike packing enough force to crush normal vehicles. EMIYA barely avoided a slash that sunk into the ground, kicking up dust and obscuring his opponent, if only just for a moment. Within that small frame of time, Metis lunged forward at him, preparing to finish this troublesome foe once and for all. EMIYA thrust his spear forward slightly to the left, aiming it at the heart of Metis, having 'seen' her movements beforehand with his true Eye of the Mind, while his shorter yellow spear was held closer to him defensively. The red spear met some momentary resistance right before it connected with flesh, probably due to the defensive spells put up, even while his opponent was still hidden from view. It seemed that even magic of a divine nature was still susceptible to the Crimson Rose of Exorcism's curse even though it took a longer time to take effect which meant it actually took a full second to tear through the magic holding the spell together rather than outright penetrating through it instantly. In that small fraction of time, Metis eyes widened in disbelief even as her body reacted instinctively to the imminent threat, twisting to the side such that the fatal blow originally aimed at vital organs merely scored a minor cut on her hip that had already started healing itself. Almost immediately, Metos' free hand shot out and grabbed the offending weapon in an unbreakable grip, preventing EMIYA from pulling the spear back for another strike. A feral growl bubbled at the back o her throat as her features contorted into an expression of unadulterated fury.

"You-you...impudent mortal!" Metis bellowed. To think that she had been wounded, not once but twice, by this upstart mage while she had yet to harm him was infuriating to say the least. She was Metis reborn! She was death and darkness incarnate, so how was it that this mortal could penetrate her defenses, and even draw her blood? The answer could wait for now. It would be a small matter to pry the answer from the lips of her aggressor once he was defeated, on the ground begging for mercy. She gave a manic chuckle at that thought, Death would be a blessing at that point, no, she would drag out his suffering for daring to challenge her, and when she was finally done with him, his body would be hung at the gates of her castle, serving as an example to any other foolish mortals who dared to rise against their superiors. The wicked smile on her lips grew wider and wider even as her thoughts grew more and more deluded.

Metis could feel her rationality slowly ebb away and with it, came raw unbridled power from within. Metis was beyond caring at this point, as long as it lent her strength to defeat this presumptuous mortal, she would welcome it from any source. Even at the cost of her that thought, she began squeezing the lance in her hands, intent on crushing the weapon that had drawn her immortal blood. With that thought, her scythe whirled in a deadly arc towards her aggressor's head.

EMIYA watched in amazement as the weapon in his hands displayed hairline fractures that slowly expanded due to the tremendous pressure exerted on it even as he deflected Metis' ferocious blows with his remaining spear. He knew that it was a traced copy of the weapon, a degraded version of the original, but it was still a Root-be-damned Noble Phantasm! He didn't think that it was even possible to actually break a Noble Phantasm with bare hands- wait, a bare _hand_. He needed a new tactic and fast, Gae Dearg looked like it was just about to shatter anytime now. Also, as of right then, he was barely holding his own with a single lance against Metis' divine had a superior reach which meant that there were few opportunities to attack without comproising his defence, which was especially dangerous to him now when his other weapon was useless in his hands. The ferocity of her attacks had also increased exponentially as well. Trying to block them directly would probably dislocate his shoulder as well as wrench the weapon out of his hands as well as wrench the weapon out of his hands, even with maximum reinforcement applied on his entire body. The best he could do at the moment was to deflect the blow slightly, making it miss him slightly or give him a negligible cut while retaining a solid defence.

How about-yes, that could work but he had to time it perfectly. Too early and he would lose the element of surprise. After all, Metis had already seen his esoteric ability of materializing weapons out of thin air into his hands. Too late and he would end up with his face getting carved in by a few inches of divine steel.

Not now. Not there either. Yes now! He had just diverted Metis' decapitating blow upwards, letting it sail harmlessly over his head, trimming a few hairs in the quickly dismissed both lances into dissipating particles of golden light- and materialized them into his hands once again, this time in opposite hands with Gae Dearg in his left hand and Gae Buidhe in his right hand. With nothing to support her iron grip on the dissolved weapon. Metis lost her footing and stumbled forward, right where the cursed yellow spear was waiting. Before she could react, Gae Buidhe had pierced her left shoulder, sinking in halfway before stopping against the hardened bones and muscles of the Heretic God.

Metis howled in pain, even as she twisted away to dislodge the foreign object in her body. The instinctul action only served to exacerbate the wound as the cruel barbs at the edge of the spear rended even more flesh as it was forcibly removed, spilling even more of her immortal blood.

While Metis was still in shock over the wound he dealt, EMIYA capitalized on her momentary confusion to strike at her shoulder, aiming to dismember her arm using the longer red spear. Most of the injuries he dealt to her, with the exception of Gae Buidhe's laceration had been quickly healed, probably due to a quick regeneration ability. However, it was likely that a maimed limb would be much harder to recover compared to cuts and gashes or if it would even heal for that matter. After that, it would be a small matter to finish her off, especially since Gae Buidhe had already severely injured her other arm.

However, things rarely went according to his plans, probably due to his damned E-rank luck. In his peripheral vision, he saw a colossal snake hurtling towards him just as he was executing his strike. There was no time to dodge, no time to evade the blow, so EMIYA abandoned his attack and summoned up the strongest defense he could muster.

"Rho Aias!"

Instantly, a massive seven layered shield blossomed into existence just as the snake was about to crash into him. The giant reptile smashed into the shield and was immediately sent stumbling back. However, a small dent was visible on the surface of the first petal of Rho Aias, a testament to the sheer kinetic force of its charge, since each petal of Rho Aias had roughly the same defensive capability as a fortress.

The thing about Rho Aias, was that even though it was the best defensive Noble Phantasm within his arsenal. There were a number of limitations that he would be placed under should he trace it. Firstly and most importantly, any damage dealt to the shield would be similarly reflected upon his body, In one of the Grail Wars he fought in, he had used Rho Aias to defend himself from Gae Bolg, the spear that slays armies, which had destroyed six petals in the process. All of his limbs had been broken, his tendons torn apart, and his entire body had felt as if it had been put through a meat grinder, before being hastily reassembled into something resembling a human. He had been able to survive, but only barely, by remaining in his astral form for a good part of the remainder of the war. Thankfully, in all of his battles as both a Servant and a Counter Guardian, all seven petals had never been broken through together. While he had no exact idea what would happen to him if such a situation happened, he had several speculations and none of them good.

Another limitation of Rho Aias was that while using it, he was forced to stay in a fixed position even though he could move the shield at will. While Rho Aias, was a huge shield and a very much durable one at that, there was only so much area it could cover.

While EMIYA had been preoccupied with making sure all of the serpent's attacks were blocked and that it didn't snake its way around the shield to him, Metis had recovered, clutching her scythe with her uninjured hand before slashing it at his unprotected side.

Instinct assumed control over his body, and EMIYA hurled himself to the side, preventing a debilitating wound in exchange for a long but shallow cut along his body. At the same time, he willed Rho Aias back into particles of prana such that the serpent that was hounding him crashed into Metis' own attack.

Regrouping with the foreign women and the Campione, he noted the tired expressions of the knights, as well as the injuries they had accumulated. The god-slayer also looked rather worn out, despite him not having taken part in the fighting directly, with only his summoned familiar tussling with the Goddess' own beasts. It seemed as though he was still recuperating from a wound he had been dealt prior to EMIYA's arrival.

The situation wasn't too good. He might have been able to deal a significant blow to Metis, since the wound was unable to be healed save for the destruction of Gae Buidhe, but if the giant serpents of hers kept interfering with his fight, he'd never be able to bring a conclusive end to this battle. The Campione's giant bull seemed to be holding its own against the two serpents, which left the remaining snake, which the two female mages had tasked themselves to defeat. Despite their evident skill and strength, their weapons were unable to deal more than minor cuts to the beast due to its tough scales and regenerating ability. in order to kill it, he would need an attack of a large enough scale to completely destroy it in one hit, or he could use a weapon that bypassed its regenerative ability altogether like the yellow lance in his hand now.

EMIYA settled on the former choice as it was the faster option in slaying the beast rather than equipping the female knights with Noble Phantasms to deal with it, in addition to the fact that he had the perfect Noble Phantasm in his Reality Marble to deal with the beast.

Placing down his traced pair of lances on the ground for a moment, a gun's barrel was cocked and prana hummed through his magic circuits as EMIYA materialized a large black bow in his hands. The bow was not a Noble Phantasm but had been a Mystic Code that he had crafted himself when he was still a human in order to effectively launch Noble Phantasms as arrows. Any other bows of more mundane construction would have broken under the strain of firing legendary weapons but the black bow was built specifically to withstand the forces involved, increasing the strength and range of his shots without affecting his top notch accuracy.

"Trace on,"

A sword formed in his left hand, Caladbolg II, a modified version of Fergurach's original Caladbolg. As alteration was applied to the sword, turning it into an arrow as well as twisting its shape even more to enhance its aerodynamic properties. EMIYA flooded the Noble Phantasm with his own prana past its limit capacity, making it dangerous, making it unstable, making it _broken_. Broken Phantasms were Noble Phantasms that had been overcharged with prana to the point that they were so fragile as to detonate on impact. Doing so created an attack that was much more powerful than what it could produce on its own, making it a very much deadly ability, considering how powerful Noble Phantasms already were on their own. However, it wasn't something that was done often to the legendary weapons as doing so destroyed them in the process, making it only usable for a single attack. But EMIYA only reproduced replicas of weapons he had seen, so it was something he had no qualms about doing, especially if doing so helped him in achieving his objective quickly.

"Caladbolg!"

Invoking the name of the Noble Phantasm to activate its power, EMIYA nocked the arrow and fired it. The traced arrow reached the giant serpent within a blink of an eye, its flight path creating a sonic boom by itself. Caladbolg completely annihilated the serpent shredding through the enhanced skin of the divine beast with its explosion.

Ignoring Metis' furious cry of outrage and the awestruck expressions of the godslayer and his companions, EMIYA dismissed the bow and traced Kanshou and Bakuya into his hands once again. He ignored the pair of lances on the ground, preferring his trusted pair of falchions for the upcoming clash. Metis probably had a good idea of the capabilities of both spears already and would be sure to take the necessary precautions to protect herself from them. In fact, the only reason why he continued to keep them in existence rather than dismissing them like he had one with the bow was because doing so would break the curse of the wound dealt with Gae Buidhe

EMIYA suddenly felt a huge buildup of energy and malevolence directed at him, almost as if an intense pressure was acting on him, it felt eerily similar to the feeling of standing right in front of Berserker, as if one was confronted with something so far high up in the food chain that their sheer presence could almost bring you down to your knees. EMIYA braced himself as this aura of malevolence seemed to coalesce and charge right through the smoke that had been thrown up in Caladbolg's explosion, showing Metis' nearing figure.

The first strange thing that EMIYA noted was how her movements were fluid, almost as if she was completely unimpeded by Gae Buidhe's stab wound. Dodging a fist that would have caved his face in had it landed, EMIYA saw that it came from the arm that he had injured. Despite the steady flow of ichor from the wound, her movements seemed to be unaffected by the injury and even appeared to be even faster and stronger compared to the previous bouts. Her lack of response to the pain as well as the moderate boost in her physical parameters led him to believe that she had entered some sort of berserker state, where all pain was numbed to the point that the brain did not even register it at all and also giving her a stats boost but at the cost of her rationality and skill. This suspicion was confirmed, when EMIYA dodged a kick aimed at his side and countered by slashing at her exposed calf, only for Metis to completely disregard the attack and continue her onslaught. As it turned out, she needn't have bothered at all as her skin had been hardened to the point that low-ranked Noble Phantasms like Kanshou nearly bounced off her skin, a small red cut the only sign of the attack left upon the skin. Shocked, EMIYA had hesitated in his defence momentarily, an amatuer mistake but one anyone could have made in the face of such an overwhelming enemy and Metis had finally landed a direct blow on him. With a sickening crack, EMIYA was sent flying through the air before his short flight was arrested by a particularly large piece of debris.

Even as he got to his feet while coughing out flecks of blood, Avalon was already starting to work its magic, repairing his fractures and other major wounds at an astounding pace. Cuts . closed up and bruises faded out of sight visibly. EMIYA grunted in pain. He hated berserkers, they were wild, unpredictable, and always hit a lot harder. That one blow had at least broken three ribs even with his armor absorbing part of the force.

The level of protection that Metis now had was comparable to Berserker's God Hand, one that could easily shrug off wounds below an A rank. He was sure Heracles' God Hand was still superior, considering the small cut Kanshou had made. If he had to guess, he would need a Noble Phantasm of at least B rank to hurt her. This was practically like Mad Enhancement, raising basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities.

"I am the bone of my sword,"

His circuits began to hum as prana rushed through them. Ripples appeared behind him in the air, and from those ripples, swords slowly emerged, causing dozens of swords to aim at Metis.

Metis' inhumanly red eyes locked on the form of her foe,

"Trace Bullet On: Continuous Fire"

The swords were launched like a missile one by one at the goddess, and missed completely. One moment she was standing still, the next moment she was right in front of EMIYA, fists already in motion. Even with his eyes reinforced, he only registered her form as little more than a blur, but it was enough. With ingrained reflexes honed with the the accumulated experiences of fighting foes so far beyond human physical capabilities that EMIYA managed to see the blow coming and immediately threw himself to the side.

Even as he got to his feet, he mentally launched even more swords at his opponent, Metis ignored them, and attacked EMIYA with furious kicks and punches. The blows had little skill or elegance behind them, but skill was completely unnecessary considering the fact that her physical parameters completely exceeded the opponent's. The only reason why EMIYA had failed to take another major blow was because of a technique he had developed over the years to fight beings who were impossibly strong and fast. If he could not dodge the blow fast enough, he just had to ensure that the blow missed him, by shooting swords. Take for example the punch that was coming at his side, his reinforced eyes could see the blow coming, partly because it was telegraphed like an amateur in his enemy's berserker state, but his body could not move out of its path fast enough, but it didn't need to. A sword was launched from behind him, knocking the fist off course to brush past his side instead. The sword was not a Noble Phantasm, but a nameless sword that he had seen sometime in his adventures, so itwas unable pierce skin, but the kinetic force of a sword being launched at 80 miles per hour was not so easily brushed off, which was sufficient to leave angry red marks on her skin.

While simple in theory, it was much more difficult to put into practise, considering how fast the blows were, he had to compensate for the distance that they would travel before the swords would knock it off course as well as

However, EMIYA held off on using Noble Phantasms as he needed to conserve his prana levels. The connection between him and Alaya was faint at best and he could hardly sense it if he wasn't actively searching for it within him. This meant that the amount of prana he had access to was limited, and he couldn't spam high-ranking Noble Phantasms to overwhelm his opponent. In fact, it seemed that because of Alaya's almost nonexistent presence in this world, he was only being supplied just enough prana to maintain his material form on the physical plane so all of his projection and tracing so far had only drained his reserves. He had slightly less than half his reserves left, which wasn't very reassuring. Breaking Caladbolg II and using Crane Wing Three Realm had been costly on his reserves.

Even now, he had to continuously project dozens of swords continuously just to stay alive which was no easy task. The projected swords were not only used to bat away Metis' blows but also aimed specifically to impede her, areas such as eyes and ears were all viable targets when he could have swords launched from any angle behind him. Most of the swords missed their target because his mind could not cope with the mental strain of aiming the swords accurately as well as protecting his body, but it was enough to block the vision of his enemy temporarily, making the clash somewhat more even.

Erica watched in pure amazement as she watched the ridiculously strong mage battle against Metis, even managing to deal a severe injury to her. Then there were those strange weapons he had summoned. It had seemed like some sort of magic but she was sure that he had not invoked any Divine Spell Words, and she had never even heard of any magic that could be done without the use of calling upon a Divine Authority. The only possibility she could come up with was that they were concealed somewhere on his person since the beginning of the fight but that possibility was easily cancelled out when he had summoned a bow. There was no way he could have hidden a bow that large on his body, and it looked just as if he had reached out his hand and motes of light had coalesced to form the huge black bow. Then there was that sword-arrow he had created. When he had first created the sword, two things stood out in particular to her. Firstly, the idea that he was going to nock the sword onto the bow and shoot it at Metis looked hardly feasible or effective at all,. Secondly, and more importantly, the sword looked _exactly_ like Caladbolg, the sword wielded by the Fergus mac Róich, the Heretic God that Sasha Dejanstahl Voban had vanquished not so long ago. So how exactly was it that this mage had it in his possession? The sword suddenly transformed into an arrow, boggling her mind even further

The black and white swords he had used in the beginning of the fight looked oriental in nature but his appearance didn't match with the origins of the swords he used. Then he had threw his swords, which had seemed like a foolish idea at that time, discarding his own weapons, but in pure defiance to the laws of physics, they had curved around to Metis' position.

She was certain that she would have heard of any artifact that had such a strange ability or of such a powerful person but so far everything about him was a mystery. The best guess that she had right now was that this man was a Heretic God with ties to Caladbolg's original wielder, which might explain why he could wield a copy of the sword, and with an authority that worked to conceal his divinity.

If that was the case, she had better take this chance to better gauge his capabilities for if he defeated Metis, he might seek to do battle with the next worthy opponent which happened to be Godou. Nodding to herself, she continued analyzing the stranger.

...

Even as he continued to deflect the blows of supernatural strength and speed, he noticed a startling physical change happen within his opponent, with her hair seemingly moving by its own accord like snakes. EMIYA blinked in surprise, noting the striking resemblance of his foe to Rider of the 5th Holy Grail War. Now that he thought about it, his opponent was exactly like the Gorgon Queen with the same Monstrous Strength and physical similarity.

Armed with the experience that came with fighting in numerous Grail Wars, he had extensive knowledge of each servant that was summoned, and it was this knowledge that he tapped into. Monstrous Strength had been one of Rider's skills as a servant, which when activated, increased her strength by a full rank. However, the longer it was active, the more she would revert back into her gorgon form, allowing others to easily discern her identity.

With this newfound information, he formulated a new strategy quickly. Immediately after his enemy had lashed out at him, he deflected the blow and quickly took a leap backwards, fragmenting Kanshou and Bakuya back into motes of prana and ceasing his constant projections simultaneously. His foe relentlessly pursued him but the momentary pause in battle gave him more than enough time to be prepared.

Trace On.

Harpe, the cursed scythe that the Heroic Spirit Perseus once wielded, appeared in his hands. It was a powerful Noble Phantasm, able to inflict injuries that could only be healed naturally with time. However, it was not this attribute that he wanted in this fight but because having slayed the Gorgon Queen before, it could be considered the ultimate anti-Medusa weapon.

Metis or more accurately Medusa now, howled in rage at the sight of the weapon. Despite her semi-berserker state, she was still able to recognize the cursed weapon that had slain her a lifetime ago. EMIYA finally went on the offensive, unleashing a flurry of blows with impeccable skill. He was far from experienced with wielding scythes but the skill of Perseus was available to him through the weapon. Harpe was deflected each time by Medusa's fists, but EMIYA used the force of to seamlessly flow into his next attack, not wasting a single step or motion. With each clash, he was able to inflict a minor wound on his opponent but nothing serious yet. He should have been totally outclassed by his opponent now that he had mentally ceased firing traced swords from behind him; he should have been unable to keep up with the inhuman speed and strength possessed by his opponent, but the Noble Phantasm he was using empowered him beyond his physical limits. Facing an opponent that this sword had killed before, it gained a full rank, making each of his previously ineffectual attacks more deadly than ever. And his opponent recognized that, understood that the sword was perfectly capable of ending her life, and thus abandoned her recklessly offensive strategy, choosing to dodge and deflect blows rather than test her enhanced skin against the scythe, Dodging her weak counterattack, he capitalized on the opening, quickly striking her exposed side. The scythe easily rended her skin and more of her lifeblood spilled to the ground. Ignoring the shriek of pain, EMIYA took advantage of her shock to press his advantage, swinging the weapon at her neck. Even as she barely dodged, e fluidly transitioned into another vicious attack that bit into her opposite side. The shock of the pain forced her backwards, and coupled with her already unstable footing, she fell backwards. As EMIYA prepared to deal the final blow, he noted idly that her eyes were closed. Just as he started the swing that would sever her head. It wasn't that she had managed to somehow block his attack but his arm didn't seem to be responding at all. It took less than a second for him to realize why, which was becuase it had turned to stone already. Mystic Eyes of Petrification, he had forgotten about Medusa's most infamous ability and was paying for his lack of hindsight. Already he could feel his entire body start to lose feeling and go numb. He was lucky in that he had not been looking directly in her eyes or else he would have instantly turned to stone. Even as it was, her Mystic Eyes were so potent that it could turn anything into stone in a matter of moments, even if her target was not looking at her. He needed to finish her off quickly before he was fully petrified or there was no telling what she might do afterwards. His limbs were already feeling a thousand times heavier than they should be so he could not hope to finish the strike. He could feel his body inexorably harden, he was mere seconds away from being lifeless stone.

He had only one option left. Forcing prana through his circuits for a final projection. His od felt like lead and shaping it into the weapon he wanted almost take more effort than he could afford but he did it.

"Trace-"

Five projections slowly formed above his opponent and himself, the unusually long time taken for them to materialize the only evidence of the difficulty of tracing the swords.

His body had already been turned to stone, with the dull grey stone color slowly creeping up from his neck to his face. With his last breath, he completed his final inaction in the word.

"-On!"

Five replicas of Harpe, now slave to gravity, stabbed into Medusa's body. Medusa howled in pain, writhing on the ground. Normally, simply stabbing a deity would not be sufficient to ensure the kill but Harpe's curse meant that they could not heal themselves immediately. Additionally, the potency of the weapon against Medusa made sure that simply having five copies of Harpe embedded in her body was more than enough to destroy the Heretic God. Giving one final scream of agony, Medusa returned to her legend, her body dissolving into millions of particles.

Just a moment later, a brilliant white light enveloped EMIYA's stone body, forcing the nearby spectators to close their eyes. When the light receded, the stone statue had been replaced by his healthy body, with his injuries and wounds completely healed.

"Did that just happen?"

"I-I think so…"

"That's really him, isn't it?"

"Yes, Godou, meet the 8th Campione"

 **Author's note:**

Well that's it, my first fic. I've been reading fanfiction for over a few years and this is my first attempt at writing a story. I'm not all that happy with how all this turned out but I know if I add anymore scenes, its gonna turn up a few more months later. I started working on this idea since about last year but I rarely had the drive and discipline to really sit down and type this story so this story was written mostly on my phone a few minutes a day at a time when I had nothing else to do which was pretty rare all things considered.

I'm really interested in the FSN world, and would read any crossovers with any other universe even if I haven't heard of it before. I'm interested in being a beta reader as I'm pretty confident of my grammar but I never have the discipline or muse to write a full story. Writing stories is really not my forte, I can find more than a dozen flaws and examples of terrible characterization in this story alone but I have no idea how to fix that on my part because I can't seem to translate these ideas into words in an interesting manner. So anyways, yeah, me for beta reader :-), pm me bout that if you're interested

Don't expect more updates on this story as it's a oneshot. I f anyone wants to adopt this story and change it into a full-fledged fic, go right ahead as I really want to see this become a multi chaptered story but I know if I try to do so , it'll become like one of those countless unfinished stories just floating in the archive. SO if you wanna do so, just pm me too

Yep, that's a pretty long authors note, but if you managed to read through all that, leave a review and let me know what you think of this


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